Musicals Set in Prison – The Complete List
The following list features 35+ musicals set in prison or jail, with works set fully or partially within incarceration facilities. Additional musical lists are available in the musical database.
On This Page:
Musicals Set in Prison
Music/Lyrics/Book: Jill Santoriello
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Imprisoned Character: Charles Darnay
Music/Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Imprisoned Characters: Billy, Moonface, Ching, and Ling
Music/Lyrics: Kath Gotts Book: Maureen Chadwick, Ann McManus
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics: Don Black Book: Ivan Menchell
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Imprisoned Characters: Clyde and Buck
Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Isobel Lennart
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Imprisoned Character: Nick Arnstein
Music/Lyrics: David Byrne Music: Fatboy Slim
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Imprisoned Characters: Estrella and Ninoy
Music: Marguerite Monnot Lyrics/Book: Alexandre Breffort, Julian More, David Heneker, Monty Norman
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Imprisoned Characters: Nestor-Le-Fripe and Others
Music/Lyrics: Todd Matshikiza Lyrics: Pat Williams Book: Harry Bloom
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Imprisoned Character: King Kong
Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb Book: Terrence McNally
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Imprisoned Characters: Molina and Valentin
Music/Lyrics: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: Alan Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean-Marc Natel
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)
Imprisoned Characters: Jean Valjean and Others
Music: Mitch Leigh Lyrics: Joe Darion Book: Dale Wasserman
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Imprisoned Characters: Cervantes, Sancho, and Others
Music/Lyrics/Book: Michael John LaChiusa
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1999)
Imprisoned Character: Marie Christine
Music: George Stiles Lyrics: Paul Leigh Book: Claire Luckham
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Imprisoned Character: Moll Flanders
Music/Lyrics: Madness Book: Tim Firth
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Imprisoned Character: Joe Casey
Music/Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown Book: Alfred Uhry
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Imprisoned Character: Leo Frank
Music: Cyril Ornadel Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse Book: Wolf Mankowitz
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Imprisoned Characters: Pickwick and Weller
Music: Al Carmines Lyrics/Book: María Irene Fornés
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Imprisoned Characters: 105 and 106
Music/Lyrics/Book: Shaina Taub
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Music/Lyrics/Book: Paul Simon Lyrics/Book: Derek Walcott
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Imprisoned Character: Salvador Agrón
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics/Book: Jack Murphy
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Imprisoned Characters: Dante and Faria
Music: Martin Silvestri Lyrics/Book: Joel Higgins
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Music: Nancy Ford Lyrics/Book: Gretchen Cryer
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Imprisoned Characters: Isaac and Alice
Music/Book: Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics: John Dempsey Lyrics/Book: Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Imprisoned Characters: Grace and Tiernan
Music/Lyrics/Book: Mel Brooks Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Imprisoned Characters: Max, Leo, and Franz
Music: Frank Wildhorn Lyrics/Book: Nan Knighton
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Imprisoned Characters: Armand and Marguerite
Music/Lyrics: John Kander, Fred Ebb Book: David Thompson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Music/Book: James Valcq Lyrics/Book: Fred Alley
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Imprisoned Character: Percy Talbott
Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Imprisoned Character: Mattie Wheeler
Musicals Set in Jail
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Music/Lyrics: Steven Lutvak Lyrics/Book: Robert L. Freedman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Jailed Character: Monty Navarro
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Jailed Character: Chad
Music: John Kander Lyrics/Book: Fred Ebb Book: Bob Fosse
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1975)
Jailed Characters: Multiple
Music/Lyrics: Adam Schlesinger, David Javerbaum Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Jailed Characters: Cry-Baby and Others
Music: David Friedman Lyrics/Book: Peter Kellogg
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Jailed Character: Johnny Blood
Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Jailed Character: Dessa Rose
Music/Lyrics: Marc Shaiman Lyrics: Scott Wittman Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Jailed Character: Tracy Turnblad
Music/Lyrics: Jack Lawrence, Stan Freeman Book: Jerome Chodorov
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Jailed Character: Garside
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Jailed Character: Joseph
Music/Lyrics: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe Book: Heather Hach
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Jailed Character: Brooke Wyndham
Music/Lyrics/Book: Joe Iconis
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Detained Characters (Juvie): Multiple
Music/Book: Cy Coleman Lyrics/Book: Ira Gasman Book: David Newman
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1990)
Jailed Character: Queen
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: Dick Scanlan Book: Richard Morris
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Jailed Character: Jimmy Smith